The One Who Can See
by SmashingPandas
Summary: Kalia Crawford is 15 years old, and isn't normal. She works with what the beloved members of Ghost Adventures try to catch on video every lockdown: She can see and hear dead people. When Zak isn't too up to par, she knows why. Only time will tell if she can make a difference. *Ghost Adventures belong to Zak Bagans, Nick Groff, and Aaron Goodwin/Some scenes based on true events*
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Most people don't believe what I'm about to tell you, but I would greatly appreciate if you did. They immediately label me as crazy, seeking attention, or a heathen. For those who don't know, a heathen is someone who doesn't belong to a religion, or follow one if they call themselves as apart of one; like a non-practicing Christian.

My mother has called me that, before. My mom's side of the family is strictly Roman Catholic. She believes that the only spirits that can inhabit Earth are demons that are cowardly of their eternal punishment in Hell. Sadly, she's wrong, but won't go against what she believes. I should know.

My name is Kalia Crawford, and I can see them. I can hear them. They aren't all demons that fear damnation. In fact, I have a little girl following me at all times. This is like, the third kid who's been attracted to me, and wants to protect me. I have no idea why, but little dead kids like me.

My father believes me to a point, however. He can't say that because one of his closest friends is Zak Bagans. They went to high school together, apparently. My parents each being three, almost four years older than him, they were pretty young when I was born. After figuring the challenges of a young couple caring for a baby, my mother went to the church, and my dad to Zak, despite his age. When I was little, I'd call him Uncle Zak. As we got closer, he told me to drop the uncle part because it made him feel old. Each did their own part in helping. Zak would be there for mostly emotional and some physical support; the church for "spiritual" support.

Back on track. Anyway, I can see dead people. Short and sweet, ain't it? In my short life of fifteen years, I've always thought hearing other people's voices in the back of your head was normal, until I asked my mother about it. She told me that it isn't possible, and it's my imagination.

Until I was about nine or ten, I thought I was crazy. After learning about some disorders from school, I thought I was an undiagnosed schizophrenic. I told Zak about it a few times, but he didn't believe me most of the time. However, he apologized and listened after _finally _seeing that woman in his apartment. I've seen her plenty of times. She seemed nice, even though she was suicidal.

Right around that time, he and his two best friends, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin, started that show we all know and love: _Ghost Adventures. _That's when I met Nick and Aaron. I could feel they were as kind and crazy as Zak, and I liked that. So did Melanie, my little girl. I'm pretty sure Zak told them about my "gift," since they don't baby me when I mention something about the paranormal. They actually take me seriously, which is all I want; especially from my mother. I swore to myself that I'd change her mind, even if it has to shatter her beliefs.

No one should choose religion over their own child's abilities.

* * *

One day, I was sitting in my rather large living room, channel flipping. I knew Melanie was around, feeling like I wasn't alone. I'd assume it would be from my parents, but they were scheduled to return from work in about a half hour. Zak and his crew would randomly pop in every once in a while, unannounced, but they were in California at the moment. I sat at home in Trenton, Michigan.

_You're chance_, I heard a little girl say in the back of my head. I turned to my right out of habit, looking for someone who was talking to me. I sighed, and shook my head.

"What chance," I muttered under my breath to Melanie. They never said any real sentences, and I never had any real conversations with spirits. I'd just hear phrases and words, but it was enough to understand what they wanted. Ironically enough, the TV flipped to the Travel Channel by itself, showing my "uncle's" show. I chuckled, and looked around the room. "Very funny."

I jumped when I heard a knock at the door, my nerves always being high strung. It was a side effect of seeing dead people, I guess. I slid across the maple hardwood floor in my socks, almost face planting into the door. My dark gray eyes focused on the black distorted blob behind the foggy glass door as my chocolate hair parted. A huge, but slightly confused smile appeared on my face as I opened it.

"Zak!" I said, giving him a hug, the top of my head reaching his chest. He returned it with a _very_ weak one. My gut told me something was very wrong. "Come in! I thought you and the crew were in California for a while?"

"I just got a feeling to come see you," he said, almost darkly as he walked in, slipping his sneakers off.

"What's going on?" I asked, trying to ignore the impending bad feeling.

"Something's off," he replied, leaning against the marble kitchen island with crossed arms.

"Like how?"

"I dunno," he said, looking at the floor, then back at me. My face must've looked serious without my knowing since his own looked concerned. I grabbed his wrist, and pulled him into the living room.

"Sit down for a sec," I said, putting him in the black leather recliner. I sat on the foot rest, looking right into his eyes. There was something dark there that shouldn't have been.

_Mine_, a darkly demonic voice said, popping into my head. I almost jumped, but tried to hold it in. I felt Melanie's worry for me. I told her it was okay, but she still kept her guard up, as did I. Soon after the voice appeared in my head, two red orbs appeared above Zak's left shoulder. They looked like the owner of those eyes would've been smirking at me. My stomach dropped, realizing what it was. Zak recognized the look on my face.

"What? What do you see," he asked me, worry filling his voice. I shook my head, and buried my face in my hands. I felt a large hand on my back, and a quick touch of a smaller one on my knee.

"Something dark is eating at you," I murmured through my hands. I slowly looked up at Zak, his face looking anxious with a small hint of fear. "It's been with you for a long time. Since you went to the Mineral Wells in Texas; it's that shadow that possessed you, remember?"

"Yeah, I do," he replied sullenly, looking down. This was definitely not the Zak Bagans I knew. I had to do something, but my mind was blank. Suddenly, Melanie gave me an idea.

"I have an idea," I said. Zak looked up, hoping for an answer. "You need to cast this demon back to Hell."

"And how can I do that? I can't see it or hear it, never mind cast it away." I crossed my arms, intolerance filling me.

"This isn't the dare devil 'No ghost can scare me!' Zak Bagans I know and love," I said. "We gotta get this thing off you, _now_. I'm sure you heard about the 'Gate to Hell' being found in Turkey, right?" I asked, smirking. Zak smirked back, and nodded.

I had a feeling he had the same idea I did. In that quick second, I saw the normal Zak come back.

* * *

Later that week, Zak persuaded my mother to let me come to a GAC meeting with Nick and Aaron and everyone. I explained what I felt and my idea. Nick and Aaron sided with me almost immediately. They knew something was wrong with Zak, but needed a little push in the right direction. The three of them agreed on going to Turkey, but had one major flaw in my eyes.

"What do you mean I can't go?" I yelled, throwing my arms into the air.

"If' we're dealing with a Gate to Hell, there's no way I'm putting you near that." Zak said. "You're like a daughter to me, Kalia. I'm _not_ putting you in danger." I crossed my arms, and turned my head.

"You'll need someone to save your ass when a demon is running at you," I murmured. Nick and Aaron chuckled, making me smile. Then Aaron realized something. He pointed to me, and looked at Zak.

"She _does_ have a point. Who knows what's coming out of a gate to Hell?" I raised my hand, standing in the middle of them.

"I do! I can actually _see_ them." Zak rubbed his temples, eyes closed.

"No, Kalia," he said after a moment of silence. "That's the last of it. I doubt your mother would let you go if I said it was okay, anyway." I smirked, ready to strike a deal.

"If I can get my mom to say yes by the end of the week, can you bring me with you?" I asked. The three guys had a good minute of laughter, leaving me tapping my foot impatiently. "Well?"

"Sweetheart, I've met your mother a few times since I've known Zak," Nick said. He put his hands on my shoulders, a smile on his face. "No offense, but I don't see any way your mom will let you go to a Gate of Hell with a group of ghost hunters."

"Do we have a deal or not?" I asked, looking at the three of them. They each kept chuckling, and nodded.

"Alright," Zak started. "If you can get your strict Roman-Catholic mom to let you go to Turkey with us, we'll take you. _Plus,_ we'll make you a member of the team. Deal?" He held out a hand for the deal maker shake. My face lit up. If I can do this, I'd actually be putting myself to good use! I threw my hand into his, a confident smile growing on my face.

"Deal!" I said, smiling. I chuckled, and looked at him right in the eyes. "Why you didn't hire a fifteen year old medium when you started, I'll never know."

* * *

**Author's Note: God, I've had this idea stuck in my head for DAYS. Anyway, I am now obsessed with ****_Ghost Adventures_**** lD HOW DOES ZAK GET HIS ARMS THAT BIG WHAT THE HELL AND WHY DOES EVERYTHING BAD HAPPEN TO NICK HE'S MARRIED AND HAS A CHILD HE NEEDS TO STAY HEALTHY GOD DAMMIT**

**Now, on to explaining a few things. In this particular story, I'm using certain situations and things I've been in or felt, like seeing and hearing spirits, Melanie, and attracting little kid spirits. The main reason why I love these three is that it's all legit. It isn't like ****_Ghost Hunters_****, where theres all kinds of camera men and shit. Zak, Nick, and Aaron are the only ones in a lockdown at all times, unless there's a special guest. Seeing what they catch and see makes me rest so much easier, knowing I'm not crazy. For a while, I did think I had some sort of disorder.**

**My parents aren't strictly Roman Catholic, tho. Hell, they're divorced! But my mom tries to ignore what I see and hear when I tell her. She asks me al the time if "I can turn it off, or turn them away." DAMMIT I CAN'T. She goes on about how she doesn't want me to let it "rule my life and stray me away from college." Her words exactly. Yeah, a bit bizarre, I know.**

**Anyway, I can see and hear them. I wrote a journal about it on Deviant Art, and I'll give the link later. So if details seem too real to be true, they really are (most of the time :P). I hope all you fans love this story! Message me if you have any ideas or reviews for me :3 Remember: Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

**~ Nicole**

**P.S. Here's the journal. Don't be afraid to message me about questions or concerns! :P **

** journal/Do-You-Believe-Me-397749577**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A few nights later, I brought up the Turkey Gate Project during dinner. I said it was something I was looking into for an essay. I had tried to bring it up before, but my mother just brushed me off into doing her a favor or a chore.

"So," I started, making a hole in the middle of my mashed potatoes. "I read that Turkish scientists supposedly found Pluto's Gate."

"And that means what exactly?" My father asked, shoveling oversized cubes of pork into his mouth. I almost cringed at how much he could eat.

"Nothing much, just a gate to Hell," I said, chuckling. My mother almost had a heart attack.

"Kalia Marie Crawford!" She scolded, making the glasses vibrate. Her ice glare dug right into my core. "What did you just say?"

"Turkish scientists found-"

"I heard you the first time," she said, rubbing her temples. "Don't believe any of that. You know the Bible says-"

"Yeah, mom," I muttered, pushing my dinner around on it's plate. "I know what the Bible says."

"Was there something you wanted to say, sweetie?" Dad asked, smiling a golden smile. I chuckled, and nodded.

"Zak, Aaron and Nick are planning to go to Pluto's Gate for an investigation soon. I was wondering if I could go with them," I asked almost quietly, not wanting another scolding session.

"Why on Heaven and Earth would we let you go to Turkey without us? With _them_?" Mom said while waving her fork in the air as she would her hand.

"Because it's an educational experience for me to get out of the house and live a little?" I asked, hope filling my voice. I wore a weak smile, looking at my parents. My dad looked at my mom, and she at him.

"Well, I trust Zak and them to take care of her. They're pretty much her second family," he said. My smile grew bigger.

"There's no point in her going. You know what your friends do is against our beliefs," she replied. I rolled my eyes.

"Correction, what _you_ believe," I said under my breath. Apparently, she heard me, considering the glare she aimed my way. "Mom, if you don't believe what they do and what I can do is real, what's the risk?"

"I have no idea what you mean," she said, continuing to eat. I huffed, and almost slammed the table.

"You know what I mean," I said sternly. She looked surprised at me.

"Don't you dare use that tone with me, Kalia." I sat back in my chair, arms crossed.

"You just don't want to be proven wrong," I muttered. That was the last straw for her.

"You know what? Fine, go on ahead! If it's okay with your father that you travel with those heathens, then fine by me!" My mom left the table, and slammed the door behind her. Both my dad and I jumped. I sighed, and looked down.

"... I think it would be good for you to get some space from home," he said. My head snapped up, a look of disbelief filling my face.

"You mean it?" I asked, dumbfounded. He smiled, then nodded. Then, he got up from the table, and stood next to me.

"I know what you can do," he said, one of his hands on my shoulder. "It would be in the best interest for you to find out what else you can do." I jumped up and hugged him as tight as I could. "You have a gift, baby girl. Don't let it go to waste."

"Thank you so much!" He kissed the top of my head, and told me to head up to my room and pack a bag. I ran as fast as I could, grabbing my phone from my pocket and pulling up Zak's contact, ready to boast my ass off.

* * *

A week later, travel day came. I had my passport in tow, although the picture was from a few years ago, but I still had about two years of validity left on it. I had a bag packed for at least two weeks, even though we'd only be staying for one.

The Turkish government gave us clearance to investigate, but no professional cameras since it was such a new discovery. I assumed they didn't want any bad information leaving the country. They allowed us four camcorders with night vision so we could see where we were walking. Plus, there was a restriction of twenty yards from the actual "gate" because of the intensely fatal fumes. It was reported that birds who flew in to investigate the find dropped dead from the carbon dioxide fumes.

My dad drove me to the airport to meet up with Zak, Nick, and Aaron around three in the morning, as the plane left at six. My mom refused to come, still angry about the night before. I guess despite what the Bible says about grudges, she can still hold one hell of one.

So, I just kissed her head, said bye and that I loved her. I didn't hear anything back. I sighed, and walked out of my parents room and into my dad's silver Ram 1500 pickup. The whole drive was thick with silence.

The GA crew got to the lounge about a half hour after we did, our plane departing another hour and a half hour after that. We waited until everyone had their tickets before my dad left. He had tears in his eyes, but tried his best to hide them, even though I told him we'd Skype every night.

After the water works, we made it through security in record time of an hour, and finally reached the terminal with time to snack on something small. I found it hilarious all the stares Zak got from single airport workers, not gender specific may I add. We ended up sharing a whole pizza, two slices each. Plus, the lady working at the little Pizza Hut place gave us a discount; Zak ordered and paid. That probably sustained the guys a good ten minutes before Aaron started to whine. Nick started his small recorder, and watched the three of us.

"Are you recording?" I asked, finishing the crust of my second piece. Nick nodded.

"Woo! Turkey!" Aaron jumped in the middle of the shot, almost knocking Zak off his seat. "I hope they got some BBQ turkey legs there."

"That is't why it's called Turkey, but a boy can dream," I said, putting the last bite in my mouth. "Do we plan on showing this to my mother?"

"Hell no," the three of them said in unison. We laughed, and I almost choked.

"C'mon, we don't need you dead before we even leave the states." Nick said chuckling. I gave him a thumbs up as I tried to catch my breath, a lump of soggy bread sitting on the airport floor.

* * *

We boarded the plane about fifteen minutes early to grab our seats before the mass of flyers barged in. There were two rows of blue cloth seats, leaving a rather large aisle between them. I had the window seat of the left row, Zak sitting next to me. Aaron had the window seat on the right, and Nick had the aisle seat. The flight attendant made us put our cameras away in the cargo hold above our heads because they were electronics and the "wee-fye" could interrupt the plane signals. She was like, sixty, by the way. I hoped to God she meant Wi-Fi.

Zak being the one not too fond of heights, he ended up falling asleep within the first twenty minutes, plugged into the plane's music channel. Nick was on his phone the whole time, probably playing some game or looking at pictures of Veronique, his wife, and Annabelle, his daughter. Aaron stuck to watching the world pass by out the window.

I had a lot of time on my hands, since the flight was almost twelve hours long, give or take thirty minutes for take off and landing. I looked at Zak for that demon again, but I didn't see it. It was either somewhere else on the plane, or hiding in him. I could easily tell I wasn't hallucinating.

The poor guy had deep, dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep. He looked much, _much _older than he should've. It was almost creepy. I saw light scratches on his forearms. They looked to be from his own hands, but it didn't seem like he did it by his own thought.

I could've easily assumed this was the first time in days he's actually gotten a rest, never mind working on the show day and night. Usually, I wouldn't have been surprised that Zak had a spirit following him. Every time I saw him or Aaron or Nick, _something_ would be next to them. It seemed to be different every time. It was kinda fun to see them and talk a bit while no one was listening. Once, there was this girl who was obsessed with Nick, but kept following Zak. She wouldn't tell me why, and I honestly didn't want to know. There was also a little girl who followed Aaron, and loved playing hide and seek with Melanie. That was the first time Melanie didn't talk to me for more than a week.

But this time, it was a demon. Better yet, one that had no intention of leaving him alone any time soon.

I scanned the rest of the plane, looking at all the other people I could without moving around, since I was trapped by a sleeping thirty-six year old dude. I couldn't see any more spirits, but I heard a few giggle. They must've been little kids, always liking to play with me specifically. Melanie was scared of them, and the plane. I told her it was okay, but she didn't understand planes, being born in the 1700s and all. She just held tight somewhere in me.

* * *

I was about 7:30 in the evening, Michigan time. Being in Turkey, it was 2:30 the next morning. Jet lag killed nearly all of us, except Zak. He felt as refreshed as a baby deer during springtime; mostly because he was asleep the whole time.

During one point, I was the only one who was awake on the plane besides the pilot and such. I heard Zak sleep talk a bit, saying something about someone named Bobby Mackey. I should've known what he meant, but my mind went blank then. The name just gave me shivers down my spine and goosebumps up my arms and neck.

I was able to get about two hours of sleep, but Melanie poked me again to wake me up. She was scared, and I told her it was okay and to let me sleep. We were ten minutes away from landing, so it was useless to even try to get a nap in.

Our hotel was a good hour drive from Pluto's Gate, and forty-five minutes from the research facility continuously working on it. We had an appointment to meet with the scientists who found it.

Apparently, they found much more than rocks and noxious fumes in Hell's Gate.

* * *

**Author's Note: So this one was kinda slow, but very detailed. I needed to get a lot of this stuff done and out of the way before we could get some action packed in :D I already have plans for several plot twists and action scenes, but God knows I can't write those very well XD Anyway, like I said before, I use some of my own experiences for this particular story. Melanie poking my head awake, and my mother brushing me off would be a few of them. So, next chapter should be an exciting one! Remember: Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

**~ Nicole**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Pluto's Gate: The portal to Hell on Earth," Zak said into Nick's camera, his arms spread out to the Turkish countryside. "Only just recently have scientists found a possible match to Roman and Greek mythology. Myths and legends tell of a city called Hierapolis, the home of the mythical portal to Hell itself. We're in modern day Pamukkale, Turkey to put this new find to the test."

Zak went on to Aaron's camera about how it was just recently found, and how the fumes can kill. I kinda zoned out, looking at the world around me. Surrounded by hundreds of spirits everyday, and only a few of them show themselves. Suddenly, a hand bringing me into the shot broke my daze.

"Not only is _Ghost Adventures _the first to investigate this new find, but we're locking ourselves down with someone who's like a daughter to me, Kalia Crawford." Zak said, Nick and Aaron making fake baseball stadium applause noises. My face flushed red as I put on a show. I waved and started making puns that I can't even remember, but I know they were terrible. Aaron and Nick stopped recording for a moment so we could get settled in the rental car for an hour drive.

"You guys as pumped as I am?" Aaron asked, switching his recorder on as Zak drove on to the main road. He panned the camera so the three of us non-filmers would be in the shot.

"Course I am," Zak said. "Who wouldn't want to see what Hell looks like?"

The three went into a deep debate on who wouldn't want to see Hell, ranging from priests and nuns to serial killers facing damnation. I watched out the window, thinking about why people like me are even possible.

"Kalia?" I heard Nick say, turning from the right middle row seat of the van, Aaron shooting his camera at me. "Do you want the whole medium thing public? Cus we can leave that out if you want." I shook my head, thinking.

"It's fine," I said. "Maybe if other people know, my mom will finally shut her trap." I heard Zak chuckle as he looked at me in his mirror. I couldn't help but smile when I heard him laugh, knowing that the real Hell has been following him around.

"Kal, that's no way to talk about your mother," he said, laughing.

"We'll just edit that part out," I said, waving my hand like I was shooing the thought away and a smile creeping on my face. My idea on why mediums exist popped into my head again, fading my smile into a sullen look. Zak took notice, raising an eyebrow.

"Kal? You alright?" I looked at my hands in my lap, and decided not to sugar coat it.

"Why can I see dead people?" I asked, looking out the window. "I've been thinking of why some people can, and most can't."

"That's a good question," Nick said, looking at Aaron. "You have any idea?"

"I kinda wanna hear Kal's idea first," he replied, turning his camera towards me.

"I think that fate screwed up somewhere," I said. The three guys looked confused, making me chuckle. "What if at the time a medium had their first experience, they were supposed to die? Like, I'm pretty sure spirits can see other spirits. So what if fate was changed in a way that stopped that person from death, but just enough to shock their brain into gaining a sixth sense? I believe that everyone has a certain psychic ability hidden in their mind somewhere, since humans only use about ten percent of their brain power when they're awake. Why not use more if you've been shocked into it by a near death experience?"

"Damn," Aaron said. "That's deep, dude."

"Yeah," I replied, chuckling under my breath. "I've been thinking about it for a while. If I'm right, then I should've been a stillborn or a miscarriage or something."

"You could see things as a baby?" Nick asked.

"Yeah," Zak answered for me. "Since before I believed in ghosts, anyway. When Kal was like, just babbling out words as a two year old, she's always point to my right side and say, 'lady' like a woman was there."

"That's awesome!" Aaron said, awestruck. "Was it the one from your apartment?"

"Yup," I said. "Same woman. I remember seeing her as an infant, but I just couldn't say anything. I guess I thought it was normal, but it didn't feel right."

"That's just cool," Aaron said.

I chuckled, and watched out the window. I tried to keep that smile on my face, but there was a _very_ bad feeling in my gut. Normally, I would tell one of the three, as they made me promise to say anything when something feels wrong. It usually wasn't a big deal, and they'd take me seriously, sometimes too seriously. But this time, I just couldn't put my finger on it.

* * *

After the hour drive to the research facility, due to a bumper to bumper traffic jam, the scientist dudes were waiting for us. They greeted Zak, Aaron, and Nick as professionals. They scoffed at me for being so young, and I mouthed off a few things that would've gotten bleeped by the censor. We walked to a relatively cool looking spot for the interviews.

"So, just tell us what you've found so far," Zak said, starting the conversation as the cameras rolled. I stood slightly behind Aaron and Nick, acting like a shy preschooler.

"What you've been searching for, "the portal to Hell," the truth is not a portal. It releases carbon dioxide, smoke. This is quite large and has a very deep cave. Details of myth and legend to be a source of inspiration for this myth seems to indicate that this is the cave," the guy said.

He had terrible grammar and a very heavy Turkish accent, which bugged me to no end. He was an older man, having a scraggily gray beard and a hair thinning problem. His build was smaller, probably more similar to mine, as well was his height. It was hard not to laugh when he stood next to Zak's own sculptured, toned, and six foot something tall body. This whole shot screamed, "School nerd vs. Football jock," and it was too funny to keep quite about for long. I decided to try and keep quiet until we were off camera. After the interview and questions ended, Nick and Aaron flipped the recorders off, and the dude looked right at me.

"Why is a little girl with you," he asked, walking up to me. Correction, I was about half an inch taller than the guy.

_Yeah, _I'm _little_, I thought. I smiled innocently, knowing just what to say.

"Zak's my third parent," I said all peppy and cheery. "I can see all the dead people in that cave!"

His face was priceless. It was mixed between concern, confusion, and just weirded out. The guys held in their laughter, no matter how funny it was. I just smiled with my hands folded behind my back, looking as innocent as I could. The rest of the day there was just awkward for the tiny scientist as long as I was there.

* * *

The day finally wasted away, the four of us investigators jumped into the rental van, and booked it for the cavern. Zak was so excited that he was going easily over eighty on the main drag. I hope the rental company wouldn't notice the nail marks I made into the seat as I clung on for dear life. That's probably why my mom didn't want me driving with him those few times.

"Alright, so since we don't really have any equipment with us, we'll just have to be super careful and open tonight," Zak said, hunched over the steering wheel a bit. I looked closely at the back of his neck, faintly seeing an outline of something. I couldn't make it out, so I'd just have to look once we stopped. "Kalia, if you feel _anything_, you-"

"-I tell you," I said, answering before he could finish. "I got it."

"Just making sure," he said.

"I'll be fine, Zak,' I said, smiling into the mirror. "Promise," he smirked, and glued his eyes to the road. I watched as the sun just started to touch the horizon, and the glorious colors paint the sky. I've always loved watching Twilight settle before Hell breaks loose.

* * *

The sun had set, and we were ready. The four of us had out cameras ready, and they very little equipment we could bring: EMF detectors, a few digital recorders, and one spirit box. I could tell Aaron wasn't comfortable with the lack of electronics. Nick had his camera focused on Zak, who was standing at the beginning of the trail that led to the cave.

"Now, we can only go so far since we aren't apart of the group that's investigating the cavern," he said into the camera. "But, I'm positive that we don't need to go too far to start hearin' and seein' things."

The four of us started walking as a group, Zak in front, me in the middle, and our camera men in the back. I kept my eyes glued on the small camera screen, being that it was pitch black out besides the millions of stars above our head. My eyes darted to the right, not seeing much of anything except a small glow of red.

"It's so peaceful out here," Aaron said. I chuckled.

"Not for long," I said, not moving my gaze. "Tell me I'm seeing things." I turned my camera to shoot it, but it didn't show up. I cursed to myself, and shook my head.

"You seeing something?" Zak asked, looking where I was.

"Eyes," I said. "Two red ones. They disappeared as soon as I panned my camera over. I haven't gotten anything else."

As we walked, weird stuff started to happen. We'd hear rocks slide with no footsteps, _then_ hear footsteps ten minutes after right behind us. Aaron almost crashed into the ground by tripping over a rock that wasn't there when I walked past. I constantly had an eye on Zak, waiting for that demon to figure out where it's going. I caught up to him, and walked by his side.

"Remember what you have to do," I said quietly, looking up at what I hope was him, considering I couldn't see a damn thing. I felt his hand on my back, hoping that meant he understood. I sighed quietly, and watched the camera screen again. I could feel that demon getting angry.

* * *

We reached the top of a mountain made totally out of excavated rocks. Needless to say, there's gonna be some hilarious bloopers on this thing. Anyway, once we reached the top, we could almost touch Pluto's Gate.

"It's right there," I said, pointing to a faintly visible hole, almost twenty yards away. "There's Hell's Gate."

"Dude," Aaron said, his camera zoomed in as much as he could on the thing. "That's so-"

A huge stone landed between Aaron and I, almost crushing his foot. The thing was the size of one of those medicine workout balls, and probably ten times the weight. Al four of us jumped back, setting the censor bleeper off terribly.

"What the hell?" Zak and Aaron yelled. Nick and I were silent, just awestruck.

"Something just threw a God damned rock at me!" Aaron yelled. We all took out our emergency flashlights, and searched the area for any kind of rational explanation.

"Maybe a rock just got loose and fell," Zak said, looking around where we stood.

"Dude, we're on the top of a hill," Nick said. "There's no way something could've rolled with that much force. It bounced, man."

"Someone's throwing shit as us," I muttered, looking at the hole. I looked at Zak, and flashed my light on the back of his neck. I gasped, and told him to stand still, running to his side. "Dammit!"

"What? What's wrong?" Zak asked sternly. I pulled his collar down to show more of his back.

"I should've known," I said. "There's three scratches going down your back, starting at the tip of your tattoo." I grabbed my camera, and switched it's into single shot mode. I snapped a picture of the scratches, and showed Zak. The three scratches were deep red, enough to stand out from his inked skin. The guys were astonished, and I disappointed in myself. I looked at Zak, all flashlights on the two of us. His face went from confused and almost fearful melted into his stern anger.

Zak started to curse out the spirit that scratched him, and the one that threw the rock. As soon as he started to yell, I felt nauseous. I tried to get someone's attention, but nothing came out when I tried to speak. My vision started to blur, and I couldn't hear anything. I sat on the ground, groaning. The last thing I saw was the guys rushing to my side.

Then I blacked out.

* * *

**Author's Note: Haha, some action is starting! But, of course I left it as a cliffhanger :3 This was a long one o.o The next one should be a longer one, too :) Remember: Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

**~ Nicole**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **WARNING** In this specific chapter, there is use of explicit and extreme language. The situation calls for more than "Gee whizz," and "Gosh darn." The mature language in this chapter is for a more realistic situation, as anyone would panic if this happened to them.**

**Young'ns, you have been warned.**

* * *

Chapter 4

My eyes shot open in what felt like seconds, only to find myself curled in a ball in a pebble pile. Everything was silent. I couldn't tell if my hearing was gone, or if something moved me away from the guys and it was just quiet. I slowly sat up, a hand on my forehead. I could feel myself in a cold sweat, and the skin under my eyes seemed worn. I ran my hand down my face, and saw my left palm covered in red. I put my hand to my nose, and confirmed my suspicions. My nose was bleeding like a damned river. I plugged my nose, and bent my head down, eyes scanning for any sign of the GAC. I suddenly heard yelling and rocks tumbling behind me.

"Kalia!" I heard Zak yell. Three faint shadows shadows came from over the top of another rock filled hill, tripping and running over rocks and boulders.

"There she is!" I heard Aaron yelled. The three ran as fast as they could to me. I tried to stand up, but all my energy was gone. I felt dizzy as soon as I lifted my leg to _try_ to stand up. Once they reached me, they just told me to sit down, cameras rolling. Nick was holding my camera as well as his own. Zak just left his on the ground when he knelt next to me.

"What happened?" I murmured groggily.

"We've been looking for you for like, a half hour, Kalia Marie. Fuck, is your nose bleeding?" Zak asked. I nodded, my free hand supporting my head. Zak got that really angry and stern look on his face again. He was about to go on a rampage when I shook my head, and tried to tell him to shut up.

"Jesus," Aaron said.

"What happened?" I repeated. The guys looked at each other, and nodded. Nick gave Zak his camera, in which he replayed to when I blacked out.

* * *

_"I should've known," I said. "There's three scratches going down your back, starting at the tip of your tattoo." The camera replayed to when I was looking at Zak's back, taking the picture, and his reaction. He walked from me, grabbing his camera and focusing it on the faint outline of the cavern._

_"So you like pickin' on people, huh?" He yelled angrily. "I don't like bullies, ya know. I don't even need to know why you're here. You're just a bastard waiting in Hell!"_

_"Bro," Nick said, turning to me. "Kalia!"_

_He turned, and ran to my side, as did Nick and Aaron. I collapsed on the ground, groaning and making awful gagging sounds. Suddenly, the sounds stopped. Zak knelt next to me, and put my head on his lap._

_"Kalia, sweetie," he said. "C'mon, open your eyes. Can you hear me? Kalia!" At that moment, my eyes shot open. I sat up, and looked at the guys, my eyes filled with darkness. "Jesus, Kalia. You scared me shitless." _

_"What the hell," I said, glaring at Zak. My eyes were half open as I got up. Each of the crew members looked as confused as I was watching the footage. I looked at Nick's camera, my eyes narrowed in an icy glare. "Get that out of my face," I muttered darkly._

_"Kal," Aaron said. "Calm down, hon. This isn't like you."_

_"Kalia, calm down," Nick said, still filming me and slowly backing up. I stood in front of the camera, my glare going even deeper in darkness._

_"I said get that fucking thing out of my face!" I slammed the camera out of Nick's air, the night vision bulb smashing._

_"Kal," Zak said sternly. He knew what was going on. He grabbed my arm, and my head snapped towards him. "Get away from Nick."_

_"Get the hell off me!" I screamed, tearing his arm off my own. I could see scratch marks on his hand from the ripping. Fear grew in his eyes. I glared at Aaron, then Nick, and took off into the darkness. The guys looked at each other stunned. They started to run after me, expecting to find me over the hill. I was no where to be found._

_"What the fuck?" Zak muttered, flashing his flashlight all over the place. "Kalia!"_

* * *

My eyes were filled with tears, and my face and hands with dried blood. The nose bleed had stopped in seconds. I brushed the dried blood off my hands as tears streamed down my face. Zak pulled me into a hug, but I refused to cry. All they heard were really choppy sniveling sounds.

"It's okay," he said. "You're alright, now." I looked at him, my eyes bloodshot already.

"That demon is gone," I managed to get out. I rubbed my eyes, and shook my head. "It went to Hell after it left me." Zak ran his hand through his hair, looking at the ground and shaking his head. I knew what he was thinking. "Don't you dare say it's your fault." I paused to sniffle. "This was my choice, not yours."

"Um, Kalia?" Aaron said, worry filling his voice. "What's on your hands?"

"Whatcha mean," I asked quietly, looking at my palms. Aaron flashed his light on my hands, then flipped them over. My eyes widened in disgust as I saw what that demon did to me form the inside.

On the tops of my hands was the roman numeral VI. The demon had scratched two sixes into the tops of my hands from inside me. A burning on my chest made me look down, only to find a third roman numeral six right below my neck. At each point of the numeral, beads of blood started to pool and drip down my front.

"Jesus Christ!" The three guys said in unison.

"Aaron, get the first aid kit!" Zak yelled. Before he could even finish, Aaron took off sprinting towards the van for the kit. I slammed my hands on the numeral, trying to stop the bleeding. "What the hell was following me?"

"Obviously something from Hell," Nick said. "We need to get outta here."

"No," I said, looking at the camera. "We keep going."

"Kalia Marie," Zak said. "That thing just scratched the devil's number on you from the inside out. You're not safe anymore."

"Was I ever really safe?" I asked. "I can just wear gloves and no low cut shirts for a while, that's all. I'd rather have something physically hurt me than mentally. We're continuing this investigation after I get some gauze on my hands, and a big ass Bandaid on my chest."

"Are you sure?" Zak asked after a moment of silence. I nodded.

"I need to learn how to deal with this," I said. I smirked, and looked at the camera. "Plus, it gives our viewers a good show. Now, where's Aaron and my gauze?"

Moments later, Aaron ran over the top of the hill with a first aid kit, almost tripping over rocks and piles of dirt. Zak took out the gauze and bandages from the case, and wrapped my hands up. I grabbed one of those huge Bandaids and covered the marks on my chest, flexing my fingers to get used to the wrapping in between them, holding the bandage in place. I cracked my knuckles, and shakily stood up.

"We're gonna keep going," Zak told Aaron.

"Seriously?" Zak and Nick pointed to me, disbelief on their face.

"It was her choice," Nick said. Aaron looked at me, and I nodded smiling.

"Damn," he said. "You've got guts, Kal." I curtsied sarcastically, smiling innocently.

"Thank you," I said. I grabbed my camera from the guys, and flipped it on to record. "Let's head back to where that thing possessed me, and do an EVP session. Maybe we can get some answers."

* * *

That demon must've made me run, considering it took another half hour to get back to a point where we could see the van. I grabbed a digital recorder, and returned to the spot I blacked out in. Aaron grabbed the spirit box for later. Zak gave me the okay to start a session, and my stomach dropped when I hit the record button. I sat on the ground, and looked at the cavern.

"So," I started. "I heard this is Pluto's Gate. Who's out here with us?" I paused for a few moments. "Who attacked me?" A voice echoed in the back of my head, making me turn to the right. I couldn't make it out, though. "I hope the recorder picked that up."

"You heard something?" Aaron asked. I nodded.

"In the back of my head. I can't tell what it said, though. Let's use the spirit box," I said, clicking the recorder off. Aaron handed me the box, and I switched it on. The sudden blast of frequencies made me jump. I covered the top, and Zak asked the first question.

"Who attacked Kalia?" I removed my hand, and closed my eyes. I listened hard for some kind of response. Zak covered the top, and asked one more question, "What is your name?" I was about to cover the top again, but a voice suddenly came through.

"... Lucifer," the box spit out in a demonic voice. My heart almost stopped, and my body froze. I almost dropped the box.

"What the fuck," Aaron and Zak said in unison. Zak took the box from me, and I covered my face with my hands. I took deep breaths, and crouched down on my tip toes. I heard Zak cover the box again for another question.

"Why did you attack her?" The box spit out words almost immediately.

"... Medium... Six six six... Kal," the box said, the same voice echoing in my head. I ran my fingers through my hair, and looked at the ground.

"This is insane," I muttered. I rocked back and forth on my toes, trying to compose myself. Zak rubbed my back, and asked if we should go. I shook my head, and stood up. "I'm fine."

"Sure?" I nodded, and took the box from him. I covered the top, the bandages muffling the frequency even more, asking another question.

"Who followed Zak?" I waited, and there was no answer. I covered it again. "Why did you attach yourself to him?"

"... Energy... Life," the box said.

"Looks like it wanted to kill you," I said.

"That's not the first time," Nick said. "For any of us."

I shook my head, feeling the demons in that cavern wanting to come out. I looked at my bandaged hands, and sighed to myself. Suddenly, the box pit out more responses, but in a totally different voice.

"... Really... Sorry," it said with a little girl's voice. I chuckled, realizing who it was.

"It's okay," I said.

"Is that Melanie?" Nick asked, panning the camera back on me from the boys. I nodded.

"Little seven year old, blonde haired brown eyed Melanie," I said. _It's okay, sweetie. I'd rather be possessed than you get hurt_, I thought. I heard her call me stupid for that in the back of my head. I smiled, and returned to the investigation.

We continued into the night, until we saw the first light of day. As soon as the sun came up, we collected out cameras and got the hell out of Hell. The plane trip back to the states wasn't quick enough. The good thing was that I didn't pick up on anything evil.

The terrible realization I had was that I couldn't feel Melanie around, either.

* * *

**Author's Note: Action! :D So, I had ****_this_**** idea in my head for as long as I had the story idea in that bowl of fucked up imagination called my mind :3 Are there more questions than answers? Answers than questions? Or is it all one big cliffhanger? You get to decide :3 Remember: Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

**~ Nicole**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I sat in the lounge of the airport, waiting for the crew to grab our luggage from the conveyer belt. I sat with my bandaged hands in my lap, and the sweatshirt I was wearing was so close to my neck, I felt like I was being strangled. I kept pulling at the collar, but remembered I was hiding the roman numeral six _it _scratched into me, and put it back.

I sighed, and looked around for any sign of the GAC. For the first time in a long time, I felt truly alone. I never felt alone, considering Melanie was by my side. This was different. Hundreds of people were around me, waiting for loved ones and flights, but I've never felt so alone.

"Something's off," I muttered, looking into my lap. I looked back up, and saw the crew walking with our luggage, looking rather happy to be back in Michigan. Aaron started big steppin' towards me, holding two bags of luggage. That couldn't help but lighten my mood.

"Home sweet home," Zak said. "Where dead women stalk the living hell out of you!"

"You're lucky it's just the one you see," I said, taking my bag from Aaron. "Your other ghosty friends kept me up for nights, dude!"

"How're the hands doing?" Nick asked. I shrugged.

"Fine, I guess. The bandages make me feel like a boxing bad ass," I said, pretending to punch someone in the face. The crew laughed, and I smiled. I could feel the weight that was on Zak was lifted. "I don't plan on going back to Pluto's Gate, though."

"I hope those scientists don't go back, man," Aaron said. "There's some seriously dark stuff down there."

"And we didn't even go into the cavern," Zak said. "You sure you're okay, Kal?"

"I'm fine," I said, smiling. "It's apart of the job, ya know? I'm sure you know that personally, Zak." He chuckled, and told us to head to the front doors to wait for my dad.

The same bad feeling I got in the van to Pluto's Gate returned when my dad didn't show up for an hour and a half, with no calls or texts. By that time, Zak, Nick, and Aaron decided to drive me home, feeling something wasn't right.

* * *

When Nick turned on to the street my house, the sight of tons of police cars and crowds around the sidewalks and houses hit me in the stomach like a sac of bricks. The car didn't even come to a full stop when I opened the door and ran out.

I ignored the calls of the crew and the concerned neighbors, and just kept running until I saw the caution tape in front of my house. I didn't even realize what I was looking at, and tears were already streaming down my face. I ripped the tape away, and charged at the front door until an officer grabbed me by my waist, and pulled me away from the disastrous sight.

The top half of my house was gone, just burnt away. It looked like it was bombed without the distorted wood and metal shapes. I saw ambulances at the scene, but no one was being patched up. I dropped to my knees, resting my forehead on my legs. My fingers dug their way into my hair as I screamed. I heard the guys calling my name. With every second, I could hear them get closer. I heard their footsteps stop in their tracks when they saw the house. An officer put his hands on my shoulders, and told me to get away from my house.

"No!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, trying to tear my arms away. I was screamed blue bloody murder, tears rolling down my face, into my mouth, and flying on to the man's face. "Get off me!"

I felt Zak's hand on my arms, pulling me away from the cop. I started to fling fists, trying to get away so I could find my parents. Eventually, I just gave up and fell limp. He caught me, and I just sobbed into his chest. He had one hand on the back of my head, and one around my side, hugging me. Time flew by as I cried, but felt as though everything and everyone just stopped. I sucked up my tears then, and turned to the officers. They didn't need to wait for me to ask what happened.

"From what we've collected, there was a break in while your parents were home," he said. He sighed, and puled his hat down a bit his eyes shadowed over. "The man breaking in broke in through a tree to the second story, and your parents went to check it out. He had a gun, and fired a 'warning' shot as your parents ran up the staircase.

"The shot just happened to go right through the floor, and hit the boiler head on. The pressure just happened to be so high, the thing shot out of the house like a firecracker, setting small fires throughout it's path. It seemed to spread at an unprecedented rate, and trap the three in the house. I'm so very sorry," he said. His apology was very sullen. My eyes widened, and I started to shake my head.

"No," I muttered. "No, that can't be true." I looked at the ambulance, and ran for it. "They have to be there!"

I was right. I stopped dead in my tracks as the ambulances held three filled body bags. My heart almost stopped as I collapsed, sobbing instantly. The morning dew started to soak my clothes, but I didn't care. I knew everything was over. The state would put me in a foster care house, filled to the brim with other kids who didn't even know who their parents were. I would never see any family again.

I felt arms come around my shaking body, and pull me into another hug. I hugged Zak back, not caring about what happened to me next. The shaking brought me back into reality. He was shaking as much as I was.

* * *

The funeral was five days later, the wake three after the day I came home. They were closed casket services. I was tired of people I knew, and didn't know hug me and tell me they were sorry, and I didn't deserve what had happened. They didn't even refer to my parents by their names, Alex and Josephine. They just said, "your mother and father." I wanted to strangle almost every one of them.

Everyone there was either a parent, super old, or much younger than me. I had no friends, considering my mother home-schooled me. I didn't mind it much as a kid, since I had Melanie to play with. As time went on, I begged her more and more to enroll me into public school. She told me there were too many heathens there. I finally persuaded her to put me in what would've been my junior high school class. My first day of school would've been in three weeks.

The service was as long as the usual dual funeral, maybe a bit longer. I didn't care to keep track of time. Zak, Nick, and Aaron stood by my side the whole time. They were the only family I was close to, besides my parents, who obviously couldn't stand by me at their funerals. Nick and Aaron were as sullen and depressed as they could've been without crying. I understood, being that they never met my parents.

When the funeral ended, and they lowered my parents into the las place they will ever lay together was the first time I ever saw Zak Bagans cry.

* * *

I stayed with my grandmother for the next two days as my parents' wills were discussed. I appeared in court to talk about where I would be stuck for the rest of my adolescence. I had my eyes half open, and ear buds in the whole time. I wore all black, and kept my glare on my lap as punk and rock songs blasted my ear drums. There were dark circles under my eyes, and they were probably bloodshot. I simply didn't care about my appearance.

My grandmother let it slide, until she patted my shoulder, nodding her head towards the judge. I took one out, and paused my music. The judge had decided my fate.

"The state of Michigan has decided to abide by Ms. Crawford's parents will," he said. The judge was an older man, his pale skin glistening with sweat. He wasn't overweight, but a bit plump. His silver and receding hair almost glowed under the fluorescent lights. He raised his gavel, looking at me directly. "Kalia Marie Crawford will be awarded to Zachary Alexander Bagans of Las Vegas, Nevada. He will enact as her parental guardian until the age of eighteen, where she will be recognized as a legal adult of the United States of America," he said, slamming his gavel after his verdict.

The crowd inside the stuffed courtroom dispersed in minutes, leaving me and Zak to be the last ones to leave. I looked at him as he did me, and weakly smiled. He chuckled, knowing that was the first time I smiled since the car ride back home. He put a hand across my back and on my shoulder, pulling me into a half hug. He asked me where I wanted to live, giving me the choice to go to Las Vegas with him, or giving up his position as legal guardian to someone like my grandmother. I nodded.

"Vegas," I said, looking forward. My eyes darted to his Bentley, making me smirk a bit.

_Good choice_, I heard in the back of my head. The little girl's voice made me smile. I told Melanie that it was nice of her to show up.

* * *

**Author's Note: Everything just seems to get worse for poor Kal, doesn't it? Well, I have a few more plot twists up my sleeves :D Remember: Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

**~ Nicole **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The next week was terrible. I mean, just _terrible_. All I did was sift through the burnt wreckage of my home for things that survived, and constantly be reminded of becoming an orphan the day I came home from a literal Hell hole. It took me that whole week just to salvage some clothes that I left home, a few decorations, and the safe my dad had, holding important documents like my birth papers, certifications, stuff like that. Soon enough, my "adoption" papers from Zak will be in there, too.

I filled about four cardboard boxes with things that survived, along with the safe. They were brought to Zak's place in Vegas the same day we flew there. The flight was just like the one to Turkey, but much less happy and exciting. We were all quiet until we went our separate ways after landing. The drive wasn't too long from the air port to Zak's place, but it was excruciatingly painful and nostalgic.

The ride there was the same route my parents and I took when we used to visit him, when I was tiny. The only reason why I remember it is because I was excited to talk to that woman again, constantly following him. I hope she isn't too mad that I'm his kid, now.

The whole ride was dead silent, until I felt the mood needed to be lifted.

"It's kinda odd," I started, looking out the passenger side window. "How my parents _agreed_ on having you be my guardian."

"How so?" Zak answered, looking at me quickly.

"Cuz my mom always called you a heathen and one against God or something," I replied. I smirked, and heard Zak laugh. "I think she knew, deep deep down, that you'd be the best person to take care of me."

"I think she knew about your gift," he said. My head snapped towards him, confused.

"She never believed me, Zak." He held up a finger, eyes glued to the road.

"I think she knew, but didn't want to discuss it out of fear of the Bible," he said. "People think things, then say the opposite a lot, ya know. I think she had your gift in mind when she and Alex talked about it."

"Maybe," I said, looking at my hands. "I'll have to ask her about it." We both chuckled, and continued the conversation over too many different topics. It was just like nothing bad had ever happened, it brought me back.

"How're your scratches doing?" Zak asked, stopping at a red light. I shrugged, looking at him.

"Fine," I replied. "The ones on my chest are gone, but there are faint scars on my hands. I could just put makeup over them, or something."

"That doesn't sound like a permanent thing, Kal," he said. "We'll figure something out."

"They'll probably fade by the time I'm eighteen," I said. "No will care, anyway. No one finds me attractive or anything, so I don't have to worry about the devil's number warding off boys."

"Kalia," Zak said, looking at me. "You're a very gorgeous girl." I groaned, and threw up my hood.

"Ugh, shut up, Zak."

"You know it's true," he said, poking the side of my head. "It's like that stupid British pop song!" I groaned again, slamming the side of my head on the car door.

"You, good sir, are as blind as hell," I said. Zak shook his head, and kept driving.

* * *

When we finally got to Zak's home, the airport shuttle _delivered_ my boxes and safe to us. We didn't wait more than twenty minutes for them to arrive. I grabbed the boxes to put inside, almost struggling by the third box, and Zak handled the safe with no problem. I shook my head.

"Dammit, Zak," I said. "This is why nerds like me stick to their computer all day." We both laughed for a bit, and I continued to rant about how fragile my kind is. "Jocks are like trees: They can take a hard hit. Nerds are like fruit: We bruise easily. Anyway, should I set up on the couch?"

"Nah, you'll be in the guest room. I'll take the couch," Zak said, grabbing two boxes. I raised an eyebrow, confused. "I don't sleep in 'my room' since I got pulled out of there."

"Excuse me?" I asked, intrigued, holding one box.

"One night, I was literally _pulled_ from my bed by my legs," he said. "I saw shadow figures standing around me, and it kinda freaked me out. So I've been staying in the Guest Room since, rebuilding and altering my room, trying to figure out how I'm gonna cleanse it and stuff."

"Damn," I said. "Really, it's okay, I can take the couch."

"You're getting an actual bed, and that's final," he said, smirking. I shook my head, and smiled.

"You're just a big softie, covered in muscle and a bad temper," I said, putting the boxes in the Guest Room.

I took my hoodie off, and threw it on the bed. Quickly throwing my hair into a pony tail, I walked towards the windows. I liked the view, so I opened them, to feel the warm California breeze filter through.

"Is it bad that I feel weird to not be shivering?" I asked, accustomed to the Michigan weather. Zak chuckled, and went back to grab the last box.

I watched to make sure he was out of sight, then unwrapped my bandaged hands. I looked at the scars of what the demon did to me, and frowned.

"Yeah, faint," I muttered. The roman numeral sixes were the kind of scars that show up on any tone of skin. They were a dark, dark tan. Compared to my pale olive skin, they stuck out like a sore thumb. I ran my fingers over them, feeling the raised marks. My fingers followed the lines, reminding me of the number. "Lucky only these stuck around." I quickly wrapped them back up as I heard Zak walking down the hallway. He dropped the box by the others, and told me where everything was that I needed to know.

"If _anything_ happens," he said sternly. "Don't be afraid to tell me." I gave him a thumbs up, and a fake smile.

"Got it," I said. He smiled, and left me alone to move in.

I sighed, and walked into the bathroom across the hall from my new room, locking the door behind me. I looked in the mirror, and almost cringed. My hair was flat and lifeless. My dark gray eyes seemed even darker with the circles under them, and the few veins that still looked bloodshot. Hours of crying will do that to you, I guess. I rubbed my eyes, not believing what state I put myself in. I pulled up my shirt, and saw that the refraining from eating since my parents passed, along with the depression, removed a good ten pounds from my stomach. I could run my fingers across my side, just barely able to feel each rib, and my hip bones.

"Damn," I muttered. I threw my gray V-neck back down to cover myself, and ran my hand across my neck. "I gotta get myself together."

I went back into my room, cracking my knuckles. I opened the first box, and grabbed the early 2000s speaker from the box, and plugged it in, keeping it on the floor. I jammed my music into the speakers, making the cleaning and set up process of my room much easier, and much more fun to do.

By the time I was done, it had been two hours. All my clothes filled the closet, and the few decorations I was able to bring covered the white walls. They didn't really fit the room, but it reminded me of home. A few were country themed stars and birds handing from thumb tacks Zak gave me, and one was a sign that said, "May God Protect This House," that sat on the doorjamb inside my room in cursive with clovers and cute little plants and stuff. That made me feel better, cuz being constantly reminded of Satan just by looking at my hands kinda made me uncomfortable.

I sat on what was now my queen-sized bed, and looked at the masterpiece of a room I created. I smiled, and crossed my arms. For what I had, it looked pretty good. I knew I would constantly be changing it, and probably repainting the walls a few times, but I deemed it Kalia-approved. The only down side was the whiplash similar feeling my neck felt when something pulled my ponytail back, slamming me backwards. I grabbed my head, and curled up a bit.

"Dammit!" I yelled, it echoing throughout the house. In seconds, I heard Zak barreling through the hallway.

"What happened," he asked sternly, and kinda loudly. I shook my head, and my hand shooed him away.

"Nothin'," I said. "I'm good!" Zak sat next to me, sitting me up. He gave me the look that said, "Tell me the truth." I sighed, and dropped my hands to my sides. "Something, like, really _pulled_ on my ponytail."

"Dammit," he muttered. I rolled my eyes, and put a hand on his ginormously muscular shoulder.

"I knew it was the woman," I said. "She and the others don't want me here. Hell, she's so possessive of you, she wants me to move out! Sucks for them, don't it?" Zak chuckled, and I smiled. "I can deal with it on my own, trust me. I was possessed once, ya know."

He rolled his eyes, and just told me what he told me before I started redecorating. I nodded, and he left the room again. I closed the door, and looked around the room. A glare was plastered on my face.

"I'm gonna be here for a while," I said to whoever was in the room with me. "Trust me, I have no interest in Zak other than family wise. You don't need to get your panties in a twist over me, got it?" The room suddenly settled, and I nodded. "Let's keep it this way."

* * *

A week later, Nick, Aaron, and a few other GAC members came over for a semi-housewarming party, despite Zak's not wanting people over because of his demons. They called it that because a, "Welcome to your new house without your live parents party," would've dulled the mood of the thing. I just went along with it.

I've never been one for parties, like, ever. I was always that one person asking what the password to the wi-fi was, or always having to tell people I've never had a boyfriend and that I'm not pretty. This one, however, was different. It was small, and with family I actually knew. Plus, the main topic of conversation _wasn't_ religion for a change. I really liked that part.

It lasted well into the night, everyone staying until about midnight, maybe one. I don't know who brought the bottle of champagne, but I would've written them a thank you note. I've tried it a few times behind my mother's back with my dad, or at a family gathering, and I loved it. My cousin told me I sounded like a dying moose the first time I drank it. There was a toast to the GAC, to me, and to life, and I got my first full glass of the stuff. The bubbles made me giggle for hours, and I'm pretty sure Aaron filmed a bit of it for his vlog.

For once in a long time, everything was perfect.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I woke up the next morning with a headache. Apparently, after my giggle fest from the night before I convinced myself a few more gulps of champagne. I walked to the bathroom across the hall, and jumped when I saw myself in my miniature hangover.

My hair was sticking up in all kinds of odds and ends, my eyes were red, and there was droll on the side of my mouth. I wiped it away, and blinked a few times. I noticed my hands, and was thankful I still had the bandages on. I cracked my neck, and grabbed the hairbrush I threw in the cabinet from when I moved in. I ripped through the tangles and knots in my hair as I opened my closet, scanning for something to wear. However, I saw a small box in the back corner of the closet. I threw my brush on to my bed, and crouched down to grab it.

"Zak must've forgot about this," I said, pulling the box out. I opened it, and saw a bunch of odds and ends that was probably from before his show hit the air. I sifted through it, and found old year book, VHS tapes, and something that put a smile on my face.

* * *

I walked into the kitchen, and opened the fridge, eyes darting for something to eat. I stayed on my tip toes, seeing Zak was still asleep on the couch. I understood, considering it wasn't even eight in the morning on a Saturday. I always seemed to wake up early they day after a party or an outing. My parents thought I was crazy for it.

I pulled out two frozen waffles from the freezer as slowly and quietly as I could. I would've been successful if a huge chunk of ice didn't fall on the floor and shatter, making Zak almost jump out of his skin. He rubbed his eyes, and looked at me, who was frozen in my spot. I slowly waved with a weak smile on my face.

"Morning," I said, popping the waffles into the toaster. "How'd ya sleep?"

"Why are you up so early?" Zak asked, groggy. I shrugged.

"I always get up early after a party or something. I've done that since I was little, don't know why." Zak got up, and stood next to the fridge, his arms crossed. "I'll clean up the ice." As I reached for a paper towel to soak up the melted ice, he pointed to my hands.

"Where'd you get those gloves?" I chuckled nervously, and looked at my hands. In that box, I had found a pair of black, leather, fingerless gloves that fit me perfectly. I thought they looked great on me.

"I found a box in the back of the closet," I said. I cracked my knuckles, looking at my hands. "They fit _like a glove_," I said, wearing a fake smile. He chuckled, and shook his head.

"You're just like Aaron: Spewing terrible puns everywhere," he said. I chuckled, and jumped when my waffles popped out of the toaster. Zak laughed, and pointed to the toaster. "You can talk to dead people no problem, but get scared when your breakfast gets done?"

"Welcome to Kalia Crawford's installment of, 'First World Problems for the American Teenager.' Please enjoy the show," I said, motioning my hands towards the world around me. Zak laughed, and I smirked as I burned my fingers on the molten waffles, trying to put them on a paper plate. "When's the next lockdown?"

"In a week or so," he said. I nodded, and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge.

"When should I start packing? I should probably bring jeans or something. Unless it's in a hot place, then-"

"Wait, hold on a sec," he said, interrupting me. "You think you're going?"

"Um, yeah," I said, taking a sip. "You promised. Plus, you can't leave a newly adopted teenager home alone, it could be traumatizing." I smirked as I took another sip.

"When did I promise that?" I held up a finger, and leaned against the counter top.

"When I talked to you guys about convincing my parents about going to Turkey, you said, and I quote, 'If you can get your strict Roman-Catholic mom to let you go to Turkey with us, we'll take you. _Plus,_ we'll make you a member of the team.' So, if you want me to trust you by keeping your promise, don't mind me packing a bag." With that, I patted his shoulder, grabbed my waffles, and went back to my room. I heard him sigh from my room, and laughed. "And that, ladies and gents, is how to get whatever you want in life." I said to myself, opening my closet and grabbing the duffel bag I used for Turkey.

* * *

Zak later told me that we would be investigating the Warren Adleson Manner in Newport, Connecticut. From what we've researched, there have been at least four deaths in this place, on top of being on a taken over Native American reservation during colonial times. We planned on getting more into it once the hosts and tenants there, along with some witnesses during the tours they run.

For the plane ride, I decided to bring one other thing that survived the fire: my sketchbook. It was a black leather covered book, filled with 11X14 inch white paper. I kept it with me as much as I could for numerous reasons from doodling, to that annoying urge I got every once in a while to draw. I always had a tendency to be a realist, and was kinda good at it. However, whenever I tried, it looked cartoonish. I always hated that part.

I flipped through the half filled book on the plane during take off with a pencil in my hand, watching doodles and stills flash by my eyes. I stopped at one particular drawing of a little girl holding a teddy bear with one hand that she dragged on the ground, her other hand on the doorjamb she was hiding behind. Memories fled my mind, being it was the doorjamb to my room, and she was Melanie. I smiled, remembering what she looked like. On this particular ride, Aaron was next to me in the aisle seat. He grabbed the book from my hands, and started flipping through it.

"Hey," I semi-yelled, the plane being more quiet than I thought. I tried to grab it back, but he bent over the arm rest to keep it from me. "Give it back!"

"You never told us you were an artist," he said. He gave the book to Nick, who shared it with Zak. My face flushed red as they flipped through the pages.

"Can I have it back, please?" I asked, holding my hand out. They paused when they saw the picture of Melanie.

"Is this her?" Nick asked. I sighed, and nodded, opening and closing my hand, wanting the book back. "Damn." Suddenly, he had an idea. "I think I just found a new job up for grabs."

"That is?" Zak asked. Nick nodded his head towards the sketchbook, then at me. He smirked. "You think she'll be able to draw the spirits we're lookin' for?" Zak looked at me, an eyebrow. "Could you?"

"I guess," I muttered, looking down. "I mean, I could try if they didn't want to be seen. For the ones that don't mind, I totally could. But they'd be rough sketches. That one took me, like, three hours."

"It would've taken me three years." Aaron said. "I think it's a good idea!"

"Alright," Zak said. "Kalia is now our Professional Spiritual Artist." I chuckled, and snatched my sketchbook back.

"Next time you better ask," I said, smirking. "Or else I'll send some nasty stuff after you three."

* * *

We got to the house the day after landing, considering it was super late. The house was _huge_. Like, it had at least four floors, not including a basement. It had a colonial feel to it, and I felt the negative energy just radiating off it. Out of they corner of my eye when I entered through the dark brown double doors, I saw a boy about my age hiding by the gigantic oak tree on the side of the house.

The boy had brown, shaggy hair, and was dressed like he was from an 1850's farm. He had light brown and slightly baggy overalls, with a cotton shirt underneath. He must've been about six feet tall, maybe a bit shorter. I knew he had to be one of the four deaths. I lowered my head, and walked into the house, opening to a blank page in my book. I zoned out after I shook the host's hand, engulfed in my urged to draw. The four of them asked me if I wanted to take the tour with them, but I declined. I sat on the main staircase, and drew the boy.

I had a rough sketch of him in about a half hour. They weren't back yet, so I tried to pick up on anything else. I couldn't get certain feelings out of my head until I drew them, like a noose and breathing problems. I ended up drawing a mouth drooling blood, sending chills down my spine as I sketched. When the crew came back, cameras rolling, they were astonished at what I drew. Mrs. Channing, the manner caretaker and tour guide, wasn't surprised.

"Oh, you drew Connor," she said. The three guys and I looked at her confused. "Connor Adelson."

"I saw him by the oak tree on the side of the house," I said, pointing out the window. I scribbled his name at the top of the page by his head. "I couldn't get the noose out of my head, either."

"That's amazing," she said, putting a hand to her mouth. "You picked up his suicide."

"He killed himself?" I asked. Zak nodded.

"Records say he hung himself on the oak tree," he said. "Rumors from the family say that he did it because his crazed father caught him with the priest's daughter, Kayla, and killed her in the basement of the church after mass. He was never proven guilty of murdering her.

"Adam Adelson believed that the death of his young daughter, Marcie, was because of the priest's family, since they had tuberculosis first. She eventually contracted it, and passed away at the age of seven.

"Soon enough, after the death of both his children, he went even crazier. His wife, Haley, tried to snap him out of it. She was killed by Adam as well by a knife after they got into a fight about his sanity. Adam ended up dying by falling down the third floor staircase, tripping over a whiskey bottle."

"Jesus," I said, looking at my sketchbook. "No wonder it feels so dark here. Suicide, tuberculosis, murder, alcohol, this place has everything." I clutched it to my chest, and looked at Mrs. Channing. "Ya think he'll talk to me?"

"Maybe," she said sweetly. "You are his and Kayla's age. Ironically, you look like her as well. Connor might see his Kayla Crawford tonight." My stomach dropped, remembering my father's family history of his distant great aunt being slaughtered by a mad man.

I decided to keep my sketches with me during the lockdown, maybe using it as a trigger object. Well, other than my face this time.

* * *

**Author's Note: DISCLAIMER: This manner is NOT a real place! These people are a product of my imagination :P If they resemble anyone, any thing, or any situation, it is purely by coincidence.**

**Anyway, I've been listening to Alone In This Bed by Framing Hanley as I wrote this, so that cute Romeo-Juliet love story between Connor and Kayla kinda poured out from that. Plus, I've been wanting to do a relative twist in a lockdown since I wrote about Turkey :3 Oh! I won't be posting on Saturday because I'm going to a wedding. My dad and his fiancé's wedding, that is! It's my first ever that I'll actually remember :3! Super excited! Remember: Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

**~ Nicole**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The lockdown started at sun down, as usual. As I walked into the house, I snuck a look at the oak tree between the closing mahogany doors, and was kinda disappointed to not see Connor. We set up base in the living room on the first floor, which had doors connecting to the large kitchen, the basement, a hallway and a crawl space behind a grand piano. Aaron had set up camera at the oak tree, the bottom of the third floor staircase, and in a few other places that the guide had said activity was seen there. I held my sketchbook under my arm with a recorder in my right hand. I stood by the doorjamb leading into the hallway, waiting for the guys to get their own stuff together.

"Who's going where?" I asked.

"I think we should put Aaron in that crawl space," Zak said. "Mrs. Channing said that's where Adam hid Marcie's body in fear of loosing his child, until she was found after his and his wife's death."

"Why do I have to be stuck in all the creepy places?" Aaron asked.

"I can go," I said. "I doubt he'll be able to fit anyway." The three guys looked at each other, then smirked.

Before I knew it, I was locked in a smaller than Hell crawl space by myself with an emergency flash light. It was so dark, I couldn't even see the hand I put an inch from my nose.

"If I need to get out, you'll hear me, right?" I yelled through the door, only to be answered by another door slam shut. I sighed, and tried to find the recorder I put at my side. "Screw it." I muttered. I grabbed the flashlight from my belt loop of my black jeans, and flipped it on. I focused the beam on the recorder, and grabbed it. I used the light to find the on switch, and started asking questions. "Who's here with me?"

Before I turned the light off, I quickly flashed in in front of me. In a blink on an eye, I saw a morbidly sick little girl. She had brown frizzy hair, tied back in a puff ball of a pony tail. Her bloodshot brown eyes was posing as a struggle to keep open as they fluttered open and closed. She had blood stains and drool running down her mouth, past her chin and throat, on to her baby blue dress, turning it deep crimson. She lifted a shaky hand, and reached towards me. My heart was still as this went on, until her limp fingers were inches from my face. I turned, and started slamming on the door as hard as I could.

"Zak!" I screamed bloody murder, my voice cracking. "Nick! Aaron! Help me, dammit!" Tears were rolling down my face as I screamed, my fist getting sore from all the pounding. I started punching at the door, ripping open my knuckles. "Get me out of this thing!"

My eyes were shut tight, afraid of whatever was with me. I face planted into the ground as the door swung open, tears staining the rug. I crawled away from the space, hiding under the table of the base. I opened my eyes and looked at the space, only to see emptiness. I wiped my face free of tears, and held my chest, where my heart was. The other hand combed back my hair, making it fall in front of my face. The guys ran up to me, and tried to pull me out from the table. I shook my head, and sat under the table.

"There's no way I'm getting any closer to that door." I said. "You have no idea what I saw in there. Marcie was in there, blood stains down her dress and face and all."

"Jesus," Aaron said, panning his camera from me to the crawl space.

"She tried to touch my face and everything," I said, shivers running down my spine. "I wish you could've seen her. I am _never_ going near that door again!"

* * *

After getting me back into my everyday senses, we started to look around the house. I had my book in my hand, recorder in my pocket, and flashlight in tow, and we headed towards the staircase. I grabbed a pencil from my back pocket, and opened to a new page. I started doodling the basis to a body, being rather large and pudgy. As we walked, I felt a dark feeling fill my stomach. I looked up from my book, and saw that I was at the foot of the staircase, besides the camera. I looked up the stairs, and saw Zak was already halfway up. He stopped, his hand on the wall.

"Do you feel that?"

"What?" I asked, walking to where he was. I instantly felt a drop in temperature, my teeth starting to chatter. "D-Dammit, it's cold."

"Nick, what does it say on the thermal?" Zak asked, looking at the camera.

"54," he said. "It's almost 70 right next to me, dude."

"That's a sixteen degree drop!" Zak said, pulling his hand in and out of the cold spot.

"That's insane, bro," Aaron said. I went back to my book, only to find my hand had been drawing as we contemplated the cold spot. There was a pudgy, older man on the page. He had a scraggly white beard, patches of is missing. He had patches of matching hair on his head, making look insane. He wore similar clothes to the drawing of Connor, so I assumed it was Adam.

"I think Adam's here," I muttered. "See?" I showed Zak the drawing, hen he flashed it towards Nick and Aaron's camera. "Why'd they call it Warren Manner if the owner was named Adam?"

"It was originally build by Warren Adelson," he replied. "Adam's father. Historians believe that his side of the family has a red-stained family tree."

"That could explain all his 'rational' thinking about Kayla," I said looking at my book. "Maybe they had some form of psychopath disorder throughout the family."

"It's possible, man," Aaron said. "They had no idea about-" A huge bang on the staircase interrupted him, shaking the baggy clothes we wore. All of us held our arms out, like an instinct, trying to get our balance. "What was that?" Aaron yelled, recording our jaw-dropped faces.

"It felt like someone just fell down the damn stairs!" Nick shouted.

"That's how Adam died, didn't he?" I asked, looking at Zak. He nodded, and grabbed his digital recorder, starting an EVP session.

"Adam," he started. "Are you here with us?"

_Yeah_, a voice said in the back of my head. I snapped to the right, looking for a person to blame for the voice; but I knew no one would be there.

"He's here," I said. I looked up to the stairs, and nodded my head towards the top. "Up there. I thought that bang was residual, but he's conversing."

Zak went on with the EVP session, and I zoned out. I could feel something else near us; something innocent. Before I could say anything, Nick started to flip out, making everyone jump out of their skins.

"Something just tugged on my shirt, dude," he said, backing up with the camera above his head. I chuckled, and relaxed.

"It's Marcie," I said. "I don't see her, but I know, ya know? I feel the innocence in the air." I turned to Nick, who was practically spinning in circles to find some kind of debunking. "She knows you have a daughter, so she sees you like a father since hers pretty much damned her to this place by stuffing her rotting body in a cabinet. She can feel your love for Annabelle, and wants to feel it towards her, being a seven year old."

Nick smirked, and I grinned. It felt weird to grin, being that I always smirked like the sarcastic little shit I am. He relaxed, and we went on with the investigation.

* * *

We got to the fourth floor, which was pretty much a huge attic with walls. Mrs. Channing had told us that this floor was used for Connor's bedroom, and farm storage. Of course, Zak had me sit alone in there with a night vision camera looking at me from the staircase. I wanted to clock him right in his jaw, but I'd probably break my drawing hand.

"I swear, if I see a bloody Marcie again," I started. I shook my head, and sat on the floor, using Connor's old bed to lean against.

"You gonna be alright?" Zak asked. I gave him a thumbs up, and he nodded. "Just scream if something's after ya, alright?"

"I've already been through that how many times now?" I asked sarcastically. The guys laughed a bit, then left me alone in the room.

I sneezed a few times, being a musty and dusty attic. Sure, it was used as a bedroom during it's prime, and was taken care of by the employees, but the open rafters on the ceiling and walls and single circular window gave it that atticy feel. I sighed, and decided to get comfy, knowing I'd be there for a while. I sat criss-cross-applesauce, a recorder in my hand, my back against the side of the bed.

"Is anyone here with me?" I asked, looking around in the darkness. Thankfully a dim light filtered in through the window from surrounding streetlights and buildings. It gave just enough light to remind me where the ceiling ended. I waited for any responses, then continued. "Connor? This _was_ your room, wasn't it?"

The light run of fingers brushing against my arm gave me goosebumps. I looked to my side, and saw nothing. I sighed, and cracked my neck. I felt it again, but on my jaw line. I backed up, knowing it wasn't something that wanted to hurt me.

"Connor?" I asked. "Was that you?"

No response. I relaxed a bit, and wrapped my arms around my knees, close to my chest. I looked to my left, then to my right. I was greeted by the boy I saw at the oak tree. I was so used to seeing Melanie around, I didn't even flinch this time. He looked perfectly fine, mimicking my stance. I tilted my head back a bit, and saw dark purple and red rope burns on his neck. I held up the recorder, closer to me than to him.

"This won't hurt you," I started. "It's just for copying your voice. I can hear you now, but the others can't." Connor didn't move. All he did was look at me, _study_ my face. I decided to keep asking questions. "We heard you liked Kayla, that right?"

_Love her_, he said. His lips barely moved as I heard the voice in my head, but I knew it was him. I nodded, hoping it was on the recorder.

"Do you think I'm Kayla? Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm her great great great niece or something, Kalia. Ironic, isn't it?" I smirked, but Connor's face didn't move. I assumed it took _a lot_ of energy just to manifest himself to me. "Why stay here? Why not move on to see her?" I waited for a response, but Connor's apparition just slowly faded away into nothing. I sighed, and nodded. "Be seeing ya, bud." I said under my breath.

I spent another forty-five minutes up there, alone, as the guys stuck to the third floor. They grabbed me after, only to be followed by the first rays of dawn. We packed up as Mrs. Channing opened the doors, ready to look at the evidence when we got back to Vegas.

* * *

**Author's Note: GAH THIS TOOK WAY TOO LONG TO WRITE I AM SO SORRY SDFGHJK**

**Anyway, the wedding was perfect :3 I also have a shit load of pictures with orbs in them, and it's kinda insane ^^; Anyway, I should be getting back into my regular schedule of writing soon, hopefully posting at least one a week. I've been trying to balance my stories out as much as I can, but different ideas flow different ways, ya know? Remember: Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

**~ Nicole**


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